While I have no doubt you’ve put a lot of thought and effort into its preparation, it’s always worth a second or third look, especially if you or an objective outsider have not critically examined it in a while–or at all.

And with the need to tweak resumes to better match position requirements, all the cutting and pasting may be wreaking havoc on what you once thought was the perfect resume. Also, the more you stare at your resume (or any document), the less likely you are to spot errors.

Being on both side’s of the fence (14 years of managing corporate recruitment teams and delivering CV Services) I have a few observations.

The length of resume should be no longer than two pages, however this is not to say it should be two pages.

Your resume is your personal marketing real estate. It’s only job is to get you through the door, it will not get you the job, you will do that through the interview process.

So, to coin a phrase, ‘You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression’.

With this in mind the first page has to be the page that grabs the attention of the recruiter or hiring manager whether it is the document in it’s entirety or the first page of two.

This is done with a mixture of layout and script.

If you do not have the work experience and key achievements to fill two pages do not use ‘filler’ to pad it out. Doing this weakens the overall feel of the document.

Far better is to try and condense into one page with sharp, succinct achievements with strong wording that makes the recruiter say ‘I want to see this guy/gal’.

The layout is often key. It has to pass what I call the human ’scan test’. Looking through a pile of CV’s either online or on paper is tiresome to say the least. It is what recruiters do to do their job, however it is far from their favourite job, believe me!

So in a 5 second ’scan’ they need to easily know, who the person is, their areas of expertise, achievements, current role and circumstance and could that person ‘fit’ what they are looking for. Easy!

If you pass this test you stand a great chance of getting onto the recruiters ‘lets take a more in depth look’ pile, and that is when the rest of the resume comes into play.

Wording needs to focus on achievements. Listing what is effectively the job description under a job is nothing more than filler and should be avoided at all costs.

Other ‘filler’ sections that are not require are referee/references (‘References available upon request’ is more than sufficient) and hobbies (unless you have notable achievements within them and then this should be branded as ‘Other Achievements’. Reading a book and liking to travel does not enter this section!).

Photo – never put one on unless specifically requested by the recruiter!

With all this the real issue is that your resume should be an ‘organic’ document and is a piece of your job search strategy.

Having one fixed document and sending out to all and sundry is not a well thought out strategy. If you do 20 job applications and get 20 regrets do not be surprised.

Take time to research the company and job role you are applying for and if necessary alter your resume to highlight your achievements that match what the company is looking for.

Sure it takes more time, however your results will change for the better.

You list a couple things that conflict with my experience. To best help others reading our conflicting ideas, let’s share the basis for our statements.

I do not know if I’ve gotten interviews based on my “other” section, but I have had several where items in that section were the basis for a large chunk of the interview. I have also used that section to highlight skills/experiences that are relevant but not attributable to work. One example is extensive travel in the foreign country in which the company did a lot of business.

As an employer, I like seeing an “other” section. It gives me a sense of what the person might be like, if there are points of commonality or shared experiences/values, if s/he has non-work experience that could be valuable to my company. My boss at a different company – a very experienced executive who’d already started two successful startups – wanted to see team sports experience (or military, but that wouldn’t be in an “other” section). His experience is that people who successfully participated in team sports were better team players, able to negotiate group needs and goals.

What’s the basis for your statement?

I find it useful to see the resume as a marketing flyer for you. It should have enough interesting information to want them to see you, but not so much that they can discard you right there and then. It’s a difficult balance.

You write “Your cover letter will explain your objectives better than a statement on your résumé.” Cover letters are frequently skipped or discarded. Your resume should be built to sell you on its own, with the cover letter as an introduction and accessory. This way, you’re covered whether they read the cover letter or not.

Also, if you *do* have two pages, make SURE the second page is completely full.

In a nutshell: your potential employer’s views about your experiences might not be the same as your own.

As for cover letters- when in doubt, write one. But personal pet peeve here: DO NOT ATTACH IT TO AN EMAIL as a separate document. That’s just obnoxious. An email IS a letter. Your cover letter should be in the BODY of the email. A cover letter can include things like: how you came to be aware of the job posting (convenient for name-dropping anyone who referred you), the specific parts of the posting that interest you, and how those things relate to your resume. Close by reiterating your contact info and that you look forward to speaking with the person you’re addressing.